Seth Rayn plunged his staff into the concrete floor. The sun was low, which made it easier to control shadows. The staff’s shadow elongated and spread into tens of branches that rushed toward Jason.

Jason couldn’t land any bullets due to Seth’s second shadow coming from the ground and shielding Luo and him.

He remembered what had happened before. When falling into Seth’s shadow, it felt like he had gotten trapped in a dark cage, destined to be killed by the master-rank mage. He wanted to run right now, return to Vamp City and seek help. But he’d have to leave Theodoric and Gabriella Rivampe behind.

And so, Jason continued fighting. He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but at least he made a choice. Jason avoided the shadows by jumping into the air but met Luo’s blue fireballs, avoided them, then accidentally stepped into one of the shadows.

Jason couldn’t move. He wanted to scream, to fight till his last breath, or to close his eyes and die quietly, but he couldn’t.

He couldn’t do anything.

The vampire strategist stayed still and watched Luo’s last fireball. Soon, it hit him. Isaac, tens of metres away, felt the countless souls being freed from the vampire’s cursed body as it burnt to ashes.

On the other side, Jenna was soaked in sweat while her arms shook uncontrollably. She struggled to keep her soul manifestation intact as she exchanged blows with the red-magic-injected vampire.

‘I can’t go on for much longer.’

At last, Theodoric’s giant sword shattered her gigantic golden fist and penetrated her barrier.

“Oh no!” Fear overtook Jenna as her soul manifestation broke off and Theodoric approached. The cursed ran towards her with tremendous killing intent.

He jumped with his sword above his head and unleashed one last final attack.

-Clang!

However, instead of the noise of bones breaking and flesh tearing apart, a metallic noise reverberated. Theodoric’s eyes glowed redder when he realized what had just happened.

“How-”

Ejiro, fully healed thanks to Isaac, had blocked his sword.

They exchanged eyes briefly, a long enough instant for Luo and Seth, outside Theodoric’s peripheral vision, to get ready.

A stream of fireballs came from Luo’s side. Theodoric swiftly avoided, but Seth was behind him. The retired mage, his eyes glowing purple, touched the vampire’s back and immobilized him.

“Now!” Seth yelled, struggling to keep his shadow over the strong man.

Without hesitating, Ejiro Sani ran, his sword pointing forward, and plunged it into the regent’s heart.

Unable to move, Theodoric Rivampe stared into the horizon before Seth released his grasp and let him fall.

…

Gabriella opened her eyes. Aaron and Isaac were next to her. She felt disoriented but quickly remembered what had happened. Ejiro had knocked her unconscious.

Aaron and Isaac didn’t know what to say to her. The three young mages looked at each other in silence.

They didn’t look at the battle, nor did they smile. After a while, Gabriella shut her eyes to retain her tears.

But breaking the silence, a distant noise reached her ears. A heavy sword had dropped on the ground, followed by someone collapsing.

“Gabriella…” Aaron was the first to look. Theodoric Rivampe was defeated.

“Dad!” She screamed as wings instinctively grew on her back. The queen stood up and rushed toward him.

The wind brushed against her eyes, and emotions surged from within her. She cried.

Her wings flapped faster, and her legs pushed forward. Finally, she passed by Jenna, Luo, Seth, and Ejiro, then knelt beside her dying father.

“Dad! I’m sorry…”

Her father looked at her with blank eyes and a face devoid of any sadness. He breathed in audibly and sighted even louder. With a hand pressing against his heart, his physical wound, he began reciting his final words.

“Ever since my wife died, you have been a disgrace.”

Gabriella looked at him, stunned and fearful.

He complained. “Always crying, not doing your duty correctly,

“You’re WEAK!”

“No… I-” These were the last words Gabriella spoke to Arthea’s husband.

“He’s strangling her!” Jenna shouted.

Two absurdly strong hands pressed against Gabriella’s neck intensively. Gabriella attempted to breathe; Luo tried to release Theodoric’s hands; Aaron and Isaac came as fast as they could.

“I wished you'd have died instead of Arthea!” Theodoric pressed his thumbs against her neck with every intent to kill his daughter, the sole future of the entire lineage of vampires. He had gone mad.

But suddenly, a wave of blood splurted on Gabriella’s face. She was shocked, her pupils dilated and her mouth agape. The hands had loosened. She could breathe now, yet despite her body practically begging, she didn’t.

Ejiro Sani cleaned his bloody sword. It had just cut off Theodoric Rivampe’s head; it had decapitated Gabriella’s father before her very eyes.

Gabriella stopped crying.

Shortly after, she fell unconscious as her body suffocated.

“Gab…” Isaac caught her before her head could crash onto the hard concrete ground.

He was worried.

The red-magic mage ignited his healing hands, one on her nape, the other across her body, holding her firmly. Gabriella lay in his arms.

The soft, healing feeling had woken her up. She looked at her friend with wet eyes… and finally breathed in.

“How are you? Is it still hurting?”

“No, I’m fine…”